Mockingbird

Teetering between the autobiography and the true crime narrative, Mockingbird presents, if not a unique take, at best a very candid account of the traumas of culture shock. A coming-of-age story framed by the inherent violence experienced by the Puerto Rican Diaspora in the city of New York during the '50s and '60s. These pages drip with novel insight, refined prose, and sharp observations where the author relates the influence that his cousin, Mockingbird, had in his life. Disguised by the obvious trappings of misplaced nostalgia, proud nationalism, and the ever-elusive American Dream, the mythical pursuit of happiness, the narrator strips his story of any type of judgment in order to understand his own nature and the nature of the people he loved and places where he grew up. Mockingbird shines a light on how coincidental events and conscientious decisions can equally shape life in unimaginable ways.